Faize & Lymle Reunite
by ganchroi
Summary: An FxL fanfiction - love the pairing! Hope you all enjoy! Please take the time to read it; I knows it's a bit long, but I spend a lot of time on it :) (M is coming later...)
1. Chapter 1

It is 3 years after the events at Nox Obscuris. Lemuris is starting to look more like the Utopia it was prophesised to be, now that the Cardianon are gone. The newly settled Eldarians are also helping things along – though they have all reverted to a more humble lifestyle, they are still an advanced race with a lot of knowledge at their disposal. They have shown the Lemurians how to farm new vegetables and also how to deal with parasite infested crops.

Despite all of this, Lymle does not care or even notice sometimes. Her life now seems so mundane when compared to her adventures years ago. She lives each day in the past – all of the memories, both good and bad, replay in her mind as she tries to remember a time when her life had meaning.

She swings her legs around and off of the bed. There was never any use staying in bed and daydreaming when there were things to be done. As she changes out of her night dress and pulls on her usual attire, she makes a mental list of all the things she was supposed to do that day. She had to teach her class, as she did every day. Today was going to be a class on growth symbols she decided – it was nearing spring and the trees and flowers could use a little help to flourish. She also needed to visit Lutie – she was supposed to be helping her bake cookies for the children today. She reckoned a visit to her grandpa's grave was in order too – she had not visited in quite a while, and she liked talking to him, though normally she only did that while nobody was looking – she didn't want others thinking that she was still immature.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She was just finishing putting on her boots when she realised that they were on the wrong feet!

"I'll be there in a minute, 'kay?!" she huffed as she yanked them off.

While sitting there on the floor fixing her boots, she realised how dusty & dirty the floor was – maybe it was time for a spring clean too. She hoisted herself back up again and started for the front door.

A small group of children, accompanied by Lutie, came rushing in as she opened the door. Lymle fell square on her bottom from the force, and a puff of dust billowed up around her.

"Can you be more careful, 'kay? I haven't cleaned in a while and I don't like being attacked by dust bunnies!" she coughed through the clearing air.

She stood up and brushed herself off. She was surprised to see all of the children carrying a large plate of cookies between them.

"I'm sorry Lymle – I know that we were supposed to bake the cookies, but it's a special day and we wanted them to be a surprise for you." Lutie smiled at Lymle, ushering the children forward.

They all set the plate on the table next to Lymle.

"But... what kind of special day is it Lutie? Did I forget someone's birthday?" Lymle inquired with a face full of confusion.

"No Lymle, it's nobody's birthday today. Can't you remember?"

"No Lutie – what day is it?"

"It's the day you returned to us from your travels Lym! We wanted to celebrate having you back, after you were gone for so long."

Lymle's face sagged under the weight of such a memory.

"Thanks Lutie... I'll eat them later, 'kay?"

"No problem Lymle. Are you ready for class today?"

"Yeah... I'll be out in a few minutes...Can you wait outside for me?"

"OK then – c'mon everyone!" she smiled at the children, but it fell away when she saw Lymle's face – she was crying.

"Go on children, I will follow you" Lutie said to them as they left.

"What's Wrong Lymle? Don't you like cookies anymore?"

"Yeah, I like cookies... I just miss my friends, 'kay? They never visit anymore and..." She just bursts into tears then and there.

"I'm so sorry Lymle... I just thought it would be nice, you know? I didn't think that..."

Lymle interrupts "No, I understand Lutie. Thank you, 'kay. I just need a few minutes... I'll be out to the class then..."

"Well, if you're sure..." Lutie turned away reluctantly and her eyes never left Lymle until she was out of sight.

Lymle went to the washbasin and splashed some water on her face – she couldn't let the children see her upset. She wasn't a child anymore... She had made a point to start being more mature, since he wasn't there to...

"NO! He is gone, I am NOT allowed to think about him!" she scolds herself out loud.

She storms over to the door and throws it open. "Who is ready for an amazing class, 'kay!?" she boomed as she stomped out towards the children. Their already small faces shrunk as they saw her – she looked crazy, her eyes were wide and she had a deranged smile on her face. She started trudging over towards the fields, signalling for them to follow her with quick hand movements. They obliged, and followed her over the hill.

After perhaps an hour, they had all drawn a symbol each in the grass using paints. "Are they finished yet?" Lymle asked them. "Nearly!" one shouted as the rest nodded in agreement. When the boy's symbol was ready, Lymle braced herself. "Ready, 'kay? ... YAH!" As she swung her wand, the flowers all simultaneously budded and wafted sweet smelling perfume into the air. Lymle smiled at the simplistic joy that was on all the children's faces. She couldn't remember a time when she was happier. "Class is over for today, 'kay? I hope you all liked it." She smiled at the children. They all groaned in disappointment, but Lymle interrupted before there were shouts – "Hey, I have to eat all those cookies you baked for me, 'kay? I will see you tomorrow" With that, she waved goodbye to them and strolled merrily down the hill.

When she arrived at her house she remembered her promise to visit her grandpa's grave that day. She continued on past her house until she came to his grave. She had always thought it slightly ironic that he ended up being his own tombstone. She felt sad that he could not be here with her now though – she missed him more than anyone else.

"Grandpa... I'm sorry I haven't been able to come very often, 'kay?" She raised her head to look at the stone now – he deserved more respect than that. "I'm doing good, don't worry. Lutie is teaching me a lot, and I even have lots of students myself. So, you know... I'm really not lonely at all... 'kay?"

With those last words, she started crying – she'd lied to her grandpa, she was lying to herself too – she WAS lonely. She missed everyone – grandpa, Edgie, Reirei and even that dummy, Faize... She missed him so much that she hated it, and hated herself for it – he was only ever a big mean dummy!

The wind was picking up now, and flower petals danced around her – the smell was heavenly! Then she felt something slide through her hair and across her scalp until it rested. She turned around to see who had put it there. She was forced to look up however, as for once it was someone taller than her. Then she saw it – the silhouette that would change her life forever. Her eyes welled up with tears again in recognition of who was standing in front of her with outstretched arms. She smiled slightly – he no longer wore the cloak that she had so long jeered him for. He still wore the same white uniform though, with those kinda silly looking Gogo boots and the boxy shoulder things – she'd always thought that he tried too hard to look bigger and tougher than he really was.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she realised she'd been standing there gawking at him with his hand hanging there. She shook the dreaminess from her head and really smiled at him this time – her eyes glowed and her grin was so wide it made her look, and feel, like a child again.

"Lymle? Are you alright? I don't believe I've ever seen you that happy to see me!" Faize chuckled before going to take up her hand in his, since she hadn't offered it herself. Lymle had different ideas in mind however, as she launched herself at him with her arms wide open, and they tumbled to the ground together.

"You're REALLY real Faize! I mean, you really came back, 'kay!?" she squealed in excitement.

"Yes Lymle, I AM really real. I am ALSO in really real pain right now – the ground is not made of wool and marshmallows!" he pretended to scold her, but couldn't help but smile too.

Lymle jumped up momentarily as he lifted himself off the ground. A crowd had started to gather now – they had made quite a ruckus. Not a lot of faces seemed happy either – they were looking at Faize as though he were a wolf sent to eat their children. Some of the Eldarians in the crowd were even hurling abusive comments at him. Faize looked deeply upset and lowered his head to hide the shame of being emotional in public.

"Doggie, tell those people that it's rude to call other people names." Lymle spoke as she raised her wand and a glimmering door opened in mid-air. Cerberus leapt through and roared at the crowd – which dispersed quickly. Cerberus then began to growl at Faize. "No Doggie – he's our friend, 'kay? You're not to be mean to him ANYMORE." She whispered to Cerberus – she didn't want Faize to hear her calling him a friend. Cerberus skulked back through the door before it disappeared. Lymle's attention then returned to Faize, who was now sobbing on the ground.

"Faize? What's wrong Faize? I sent those mean people away – you don't need to cry now, 'kay?" Faize raised his head to look at her. His face was red and blotchy. His violet eyes were shimmering in the afternoon light – tears were streaming down his face ceaselessly.

"I DO need to cry Lymle! And I am sorry... that you have to see it..." he spoke through choking sobs. Lymle just stood there and watched him cry – she didn't know what to do, and was also stunned by Faize's sudden show of emotion. She had never seen him cry before – not even before he disappeared, when he had so much more of a reason to cry. She wanted to comfort him, but didn't know how – and she didn't want him to know she cared either.

He stood up and composed himself – he couldn't let her see him cry. He wasn't supposed to let anyone see him cry...

"I am very sorry Lymle – you should not have seen that."

"You big dummy, Faize! Why are you still a dummy for? I thought you'd be smarter by now, 'kay?"

"How am I a dummy Lymle? I am VERYsmart, and you know that."

"No, Faize is not smart – everybody cries sometimes, so you don't have to be sorry – big dummy!" Lymle folded her arms and pouted up at him.

"Well Lymle, Eldarians make it a point not to cry in front of people – it's rude and impolite, not to mention a sign of... weakness..." with that, his eyes began to well up with tears again.

"Can you not tell me what's wrong? I'm good at listening, 'kay?" she took his hand in hers and lifted it up to her face. She held it with both hands then, and stared up at him expectantly. He could not believe it – Lymle cared about him.

"Isn't there somewhere we could go? I don't want to be seen crying outside anymore. And I don't think my fellow Eldarians want to see me either..." Lymle then nodded and brought him back to her house. They didn't get there unscathed though – jeers erupted from neighbouring windows when they started walking, and someone even threw a stone at him.

When they were safe inside, Lymle ran and got a cloth and some ointment – Faize had a nasty cut on his cheek, just under his eye, from where the stone had landed. She sat him on the couch next to her, and began cleaning the cut up.

"Lymle? Why are you being nice to me? I thought that you didn't like me."

"Well, you got hurt Faize, and I need to fix it, 'kay? You're a guest here." She said this as she was finishing up with the cut.

"Now – why are you sad Faize? Aren't you happy to see me?" she looked a little upset while saying this.

"No Lymle, I am very happy to see you. Nobody is happy to see me though. I did so many unspeakable things Lymle... I tried to kill everyone..." he then turned away from her. "I even tried to kill you, Edge and all of my friends... I've spent these years trying to forgive myself, but I've realised that I cannot – not until my friends can forgive me too. I came here to ask you can YOU forgive me... Can you forgive me, Lymle?"

Then came something he wasn't expecting – Lymle raised her hand and slapped him on the face.

"You big... DUMMY!" she stood up so she was taller than him, and glared at him, her face drained and her eyes bulging in their sockets.

"You're so SELFISH, 'kay! Everybody missed you – _I_ missed you! ..." with that she turned beet red and stopped talking.

"You missed me, Lymle?" Faize muttered in shock - slack-jawed and feeling rather hot.

"NO! That was not... It was not... I did NOT miss dummy Faize!" she raced out the front door and into a heavy rainstorm that had started while they were talking. She didn't care – she was not supposed to miss Faize, or like him, or want him, or need him – like she right did now. She cried her heart out, her tears masked by raindrops. The rain became heavier as she cried more deeply, her powers inadvertently strengthening the storm.

Faize stepped out after her, worried that she would run away or do something silly... But he was not prepared for the sight before him – she was just standing there, face to the skies, but... the wind whipped her hair and clothes about her, which were soaked through now. The wet clothes hugged her in the torrent, and he could now see that she was no longer a girl – she was a woman. His heart ached to touch her, to hold her, to smell her sweet fragrance and feel her pulse racing – he wanted her. It wasn't the innocent want that he'd had years ago either – it was something more now, something that tore him apart and rendered him senseless. And he could have her – she was right there, her beauty unmasked by the rains that buffeted her. But he couldn't – she did not want him... she had just screamed at him! But he couldn't just let her go...

He rushed as fast as he could to her side, falling several times on the way in the muddy puddles. When he reached her she was shaking from the cold, but also from the sobs that racked her entire body. She turned on him then

"What do you want Faize!? _I_ need to cry now, and I'm not sorry, 'kay!? I don't like you, now go away you big mean horrible dummy!" She went to throw her fist at him, and he let her. He fell to the ground again, this time getting mud all up his left side. He got back up and noticed his cut – mud had gotten into it and it was now stinging fiercely.

What did I just do? I hit Faize and he... he let me... He came back to see me and I punch him! Well... he's a dummy, he let me hit him... and he's so selfish! But...

"I'm sorry Faize... are you alri-" Before she could finish, he wraps an arm around her waist whilst cupping her face with his other hand, and kisses her.

The sentence is lost in his lips as they gently caress hers. She falls weak in his arms, and he holds her up – he can't let her fall away from him, not when he needs this so much. Though his eyes are closed, he can feel everything – the rain and wind are still pelting him, but he doesn't care. He can feel her soft lips yielding to his, he can feel her pulse racing beneath his hand as it slides down her neck, he can feel her body shaking in his arms and now he can feel her arms reaching around to return his embrace.

What am I doing? I don't like Faize! I can't like Faize... Lymle releases him and steps back

"I can't like you Faize..."

You can see in his face that his heart is breaking

"But... why Lymle? I need you..."

"'Cause Faize... I LOVE YOU... 'kay?"

She's now shuffling her feet in the mud, and her face is extra red from both crying and embarrassment. Faize collapses to his knees and sighs in relief.

"You just nearly broke my heart Lymle..."

He pulls her to him and buries his head into her chest, weeping silently.

"I love you too, Lymle... can you forgive me?"

"Well, can you forgive me for hitting you?" He looks up at her as if to say 'are you serious!?'

"Of course I can – don't be silly!"

She pushes him off and lowers herself to his level "Exactly Faize, you big dummy – of course I can!"

Faize jumps at her and they both end up in the mud. He's hugging her tightly and a beaming smile lights up his face.

"But if you do that again, Doggie won't be happy, 'kay?"

"Well, you were the one who decided to play in the rain, not me." He's now smiling at her, tears of joy staining his cheeks this time.

"OK then, it's my fault – but stop crying 'kay? And can we get up now? I have to clean my house, and I have some cookies too... But you can't have any unless you help me clean – mneh!" She sticks her tongue out and pushes him off her before running back home.

"Lymle... Thank you for not changing." He strolls after her and locks the door behind him.

The End?


	2. Chapter 2

Faize was satisfied when he heard the tumblers lock into place inside the door. When he turned from the door however, Lymle was nowhere to be seen. Then he heard a clatter from behind a door that was hanging open; Lymle popped her head out and suddenly a mop and bucket came flying towards him! *BANG* They hit him square in the chest and knocked him over on his behind.

"Faizie, wash the floor while I clear up the plates!" She called out while still plundering the closet for cleaning utensils. He wasn't too pleased about the manner in which he was asked to clean but he knew it would be better to just get on with things than try and argue with her. Besides, she had just called him Faizie for the first time… Not Faize, Faizie; the endearment made his heart feel warm as he remembered the countless times she refused to even consider calling him that.

He picked himself up off the floor and made for the large, musty old washbasin. Plonking the bucket down in it, he began the heave-ho of pumping the water into it. Then Lymle came crashing over, clattering her wooden bowls and plates into the basin and ignoring the fact that he was trying to fill up the bucket beforehand. A lot of them landed in the large bucket, splashing water all over the two of them. Lymle's face went red before she slapped his arm (too tall to slap his hand anymore) and walked away;

"That wasn't nice Faize… why do you have to be such a big dummy and fill the basin while I'm trying to use it?" She stomped off into another room and slammed the door, leaving a wet trail after her that ended abruptly at the door. He went to follow her into the room but she had barricaded the door and refused to open it, even with Faize's pleading. So he decided it would be best to leave her be…

After a few hours of sulking in her room Lymle decided to go out and see how Faize was doing – she couldn't give him the cold shoulder forever, and she was starting to miss him now even though he was a big dummy… She cracked open the door as quietly as she could and peeked out to see where he was; he was at the sink now, sleeves up to his elbows, scrubbing away at the plates. A feeling of guilt washed over her as she saw the sweat and determination on his face; he must've been working the whole time, and it showed – the place was as clean as she'd ever seen it, the mantle practically gleamed and there was a roaring fire within it. Night had fallen outside and the storm had receded a little, though she still heard the pelting of rain on the windows. She shuffled her way out of the room, barely looking up at him as she plonked herself on the sofa…

Faize turned at the sound of the air escaping the old fabric with a wheeze and saw her just sitting there. He started towards her from the sink, dropping what he was doing. Lymle was sure he was going to chew her ear off, but he didn't; when he reached her, he knelt down and grasped her hands in his, staring into her shimmering eyes with a look of deep caring and understanding. She could see every facet of him in front of her; how perfectly unmarred his complexion was, even beneath the dirt from the scuffle earlier, the intricate detail of his ear-coverings, the strong structure of his jawline as it led on to the slope of his neck, his fine hair now damp with sweat and sticking to his face… The guilt inside was dissipating as another emotion that she'd never felt washed over her. It was unrecognisable at first; she just felt warm and a little uncomfortable under his gaze. She shifted in her seat a little, trying to prise free of his grip as the realisation of how she was feeling struck her – but he was unyielding.

"Lymle, I am very sorry for getting you wet earlier – it was an accident. I promise I will not let it happen again." He squeezed her hands gently and smiled at her. With her feelings askew and mind wandering to other places however, she reacted abruptly to his statement by standing upright and pushing him away from her whilst shouting; "Why would you even say that Faize!? You're such a big perv, 'kay!?" Yet again, she retreated to her room all flustered and locked the door behind her… Again.

Faize sat there dumbfounded by what had just happened; how was he a pervert? He didn't understand how his statement could have been taken in such a bad way; he _had _gotten her wet from the sink water after all. He thought she might have even been a bit appreciative or apologetic about everything, but she hadn't been… Maybe he was wrong; maybe she hadn't matured as much as he'd hoped. Standing up from where he was crouched on the floor, swallowing down the teary lump in his throat, he drifted back over to the dishes and proceeded to finish up so he could finally relax.

Lymle sat on her bed, her thoughts racing as she bit her lip, eyes darting in all directions to find an answer; but none were there. How could she have thought that way about what he said – was _she_ now the perv? She couldn't be; she had never thought about boys, or even herself, like that before… But there was a first time for everything. She stood up and paced the room, trying furiously to think of a way to diffuse the situation. In the process she bit her lip so hard that it started to bleed and she cried out in pain.

Faize heard her cry from the next room and came running to her door, banging loudly on it all the while he was shouting for her to let him in. The sheer terror on his face was apparent when she opened the door and he almost fell on top of her from his continuous knocking. As the blood trailed down from her lip onto her chin, his eyes darted from the red stain to her eyes and back again;

"What did you do Lymle? Did you do that to yourself?" his words were flustered and hurried, his eyes wide and worrisome.

"Yeah… But it was an accident, 'kay? And it was your fault anyway, making me all angry like a big dummy…" Lymle's eyes would not meet his, she continued looking at his feet instead.

"But why did you get angry Lym? I didn't do anything wrong – I even apologised!"

"I.. I don't know, 'kay? I just got angry. Now go away and leave me alone…"

"Not until we fix up that lip of yours, and I know just how to do it, follow me"

And with that Faize clasped her hand and guided her to the sofa in the main room. After sitting her down on the couch he retrieved a clean cloth from the countertop and rinsed it with some warm water from the sink. Her eyes trailed after him as he walked away, watering up as her emotions drowned her in their torrents. The salty tears left streaks in the mucky mess of her face and stung as they reached the cut in her lip. Then he came back to her with a swift, sweeping motion and sat himself next to her on the couch; she had barely noticed him move until he was right next to her, his knee brushing up against hers. She blushed a little and looked away from him, but his hand reached out and lifted her face up towards him as he used the other to first wipe most of the dirt from her face before dabbing the blood away from the wound itself. Every stroke was so gentle that he must have thought her skin as fragile as a dream, as if he could wipe away her very existence if he was not careful. When he started on the cut however, it stung and she hissed in pain.

"Shhh Lymle, it will be alright… I know how to do this. Close your eyes, it might help."

Everything went dark as she closed her eyes and it actually did sting a little less. With her eyes closed she became more in tune with her other senses and they cascaded her with Faize's very essence; he smelt musky but it wasn't displeasing, it was actually invigorating. His breathing was deep and steady, as calm as he had always been. She could even hear his heartbeat in her serene state, increasing slowly… Then she felt his breath on her cheek and the heat started to rise up in her again. She didn't open her eyes though for fear of stopping him; though she'd never admit it and would deny it to the ground, she wanted this. He was so close to her face now that his scent intoxicated her, enveloped her in a shroud that made her feel alive and her body yearned for him. His lips didn't crash into hers as had happened earlier; they caressed hers softly, with warmth and a slow tenderness that had not been there before. But it was a single kiss and he began to pull away. She didn't want him to though, she couldn't let him stop…

As he pulled away, Faize felt Lymle's hand glide along his face as her fingers intertwined his hair. He froze on the spot and opened his eyes to see her leaning in for another kiss. Who was he to deny her another, but at this stage he didn't know if he should – her whole being had permeated him, he was so overwrought by everything about her during that one kiss that he felt his control over himself waning… He didn't want to overstep any boundaries or get too carried away, but he'd already been carried away on a wave; her supple skin and the sweet scent that arose from it were drowning him in a sea of bliss and he didn't know if he could survive it much longer. So Faize lifted his arms up instead and placed them upon her shoulders to stop her before she could get any closer. Her eyes fluttered open and looked at him longingly, then she began to pout…

"I'm sorry Lym, I'm truly sorry… But I think we still have a few things to do before we do anything else." He could see the hurt in her eyes and then she stuck out her tongue at him

"What else is there to do now Faizie? You cleaned up everything… And I'm thankful, 'kay? I'm sorry I didn't say thank you… But it's done now!"

Faize's brow bunched a little as he tried to think of something that needed doing, and then it came to him; "We need to get out of these dirty clothes and have a wash now don't we!"

He saw a light flash into Lym's eyes as she hopped up off the couch; "Of course we do! I'm gonna get the tub and bring it in, I need your help." She trotted over to the closet that she had been rummaging in earlier and started trying to drag out a very old and very large iron tub. Faize leapt to her aid, and with a few minutes of huffing and puffing, it was placed snugly in front of the fire.

"How do we fill it though?" Faize exclaimed "There's no pump here for the water!"

"You're such a big dummy Faizie; watch this!" Lymle ran and grabbed her wand from beside the door and came back. She waved it in a circular motion and called out a few unintelligible words – water cascaded into the tub from nowhere until it was almost full to the brim and then stopped.

"You forgot I was a Master Symbologist AGAIN, didn't you Faize…? You're so mean, 'kay.." She looked a little peeved at him now, which was probably his own fault for not realising how simple such things would be for her. His own race didn't need to use Symbology for such mundane things; they had indoor plumbing and a lot of other advanced technologies to replace the need for it.

"I'm sorry Lym, I forgot how good you were at Symbology… I have been away for a while you know." Now he stared at the tub with an awkwardly confused face; "Who is having a wash first though? I mean we can't share a tub, that would be" *Ahem* He cleared his throat and looked away, swinging his legs a little in embarrassment as his face went from pink to red.

"I'm gonna have a bath first, 'kay? The water's not hot yet and I need to warm it up" She waved her wand again and recited a chant that used to scare the wits out of Faize, and a moment later a large, fiery dog jumped from a portal in space and landed beside Lymle. She ordered him to lay around the base of the bathtub to heat it up; Cerberus curled his body around the tub like how a dog would nap and actually started to nap. Faize thought it an absolutely ingenious way to heat up the water and even applauded her creativity.

"Now Faize, you have to leave… Go wait in my room for a while, there are books to read and a comfy bed to sit on… And NO PEEKING, 'kay? Because we all know you're a big perv Faize and I'll have to set my doggy on you if you do!" Lymle pointed towards her room and stomped her foot while saying this and gave him a stern look. Faize didn't want to argue at all with a threat of Cerberus involved! He marched swiftly to the room and closed the door behind him…


	3. Chapter 3

Faize sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the spines of all the books on the shelves but taking none of them in... His mind was wandering, thoughts of what lay beyond the door pervading his mind and he couldn't focus at all. Screwing up his eyes, he looked at the spines again but to no avail; in his mind's eye he was undressing her, watching the clothes slink down her smooth skin, seeing her climb into the tub and flex beautifully, the tips of her...

"NO!" He mentally shouted at himself, dragging his thoughts away from such indecent things. He surrendered to his inability to read and decided it would be best to try and rest instead; what happened throughout the day had been exhausting and he wanted nothing more than to be free of the exhaustion that was today's events. He was now becoming so off-guard with his feelings he didn't know if he could suppress them anymore... Rationality dictated that he restrain himself, but his body's sheer yearning was beginning to overpower that logic – and how he wanted her! After all he'd seen that day he'd been proven just how much she had grown, no longer a girl but a young woman. As he warred within himself while lying on the bed, he heard a loud clunk in the next roo and made for the door quickly, cracking it open a little and peeking out. He wasn't prepared for what he saw...

As Faize shut the door behind himself, Lymle went to a small dresser in the living area and fished a few small bottles and a bar of soap out the drawer then proceeded to take a clean cloth from the kitchen area, cursing how she'd left her own in her room now. After a few minutes she rolled up her sleeves and dipped her elbow into the water of the tub to find it acceptably hot, but not too much. With that she asked Cerberus to go back and have a nap until she needed him again; she didn't even like Cerberus watching her wash (clinging to those insecurities associated with being a young female, never mind a virgin!) As he left she started swirling some of the liquid from one of the bottles into the bath with her hand, basking in the sweet scent of apple & cinnamon roaming up to her. It sufficiently permeated the water when she decided to start removing her clothes, which always started with taking her hair down. As it hung loose about her ankles she proceeded to remove her shoes, but thanks to her luxuriously long hair she tripped and the second boot flew off and hit the press under the kitchen sink, sending her arms cartwheeling to right herself before she fell over, which failed when her bottom hit ground with a resounding 'thud'. She drew herself back up after a second and shook her head to clear it. Then she reached for the hem of her dress and started pulling it towards the ceiling, her arms uncrossing as it went over her head. When the material was free from her head, she flung it off her arms onto the floor next to her and removed her leggings, panties and socks in one fell swoop, dragging them all down her legs to her ankles before stepping out of them. She stared down at herself for a moment before climbing into the tub, face flushing in realisation that she wasn't technically alone in her vulnerable state; could she trust that pervy Faize not to look at her while she washed? She dismissed the thought quickly, not wanting to dwell on such things and dipped her right leg slowly into the tub until it hit the bottom, bringing her other leg over before lowering herself slowly into it, crouching in the water to adjust before sliding back into a lying position with her knees poking out of the surface. She stayed like that for several minutes before rising up again on her knees and cleansing herself with the bubbly essence from another bottle and the cloth. After all her ministrations she lay back again and closed her eyes before drifting off into a light slumber, lulled by the warm water and tiredness in her bones as she thought sultrily about the kiss she had shared earlier with Faize. That was until a rasp of air brought her back to reality and her eyes shot open...

Faize saw Lymle through the slim crack in the door and felt his breath catch in his throat; she was reaching for the hem of her dress and slowly pulling it over her head... He could only see her from behind, but he could see she was now nude from the waist up, luscious hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. His eyes then bulged in his head as she quickly dropped her leggings and panties simultaneously and stood out of them... He was now mesmerised by her form in front of him, being able to see every curve unhindered by anything but her locks. All thought seemed to ebb from him which he found disconcerting; no words came to him, even internally – what he was seeing was indescribably perfect. She started climbing into the bath and then lowered herself in, her hair now floating behind her. At the angle she had turned while climbing in he could see the curved hint of a breast and felt his whole body tense in response to it and he clenched his eyes shut; why was he so vulnerable to these unbidden feelings that wracked his body when he looked at her? He was so naive in love, his only experience being those fleeting feelings he had for the girl of the black robes that had driven him to the Grigori with her death... But even with that girl, his feelings for her had never rendered him so speechless or carnally driven.

He hadn't realised but she had lain back within that minute or two of internal conflict and was now rising up onto her knees and pouring out a liquid onto a washcloth she held. She bubbled it up in the water and was now scrubbing herself all over, reaching her arms up which yet enhanced her figure further. Finally she pulled her hair over her shoulder and placed her free arm with the cloth at the top of her spine and squeezed, allowing the suds to stream down her back. She finished by letting it fall into the tub behind her and lay back again. Without a thought, logic having all but abandoned him, Faize pulled on the door handle quietly and stepped into the room, inching his way towards her at an almost restrained pace, all his emotions warring within him both for and against this. As he came closer he realised he couldn't see very much even if he had wanted to; the water was milky from the lotions and potions she had used on her skin so all that was visible were her knees and her head and shoulders, the water floating around her collar bone. He noticed her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly; she must be asleep. With that he exhaled loudly and started when her eyes snapped open at the sound.


End file.
